With SBC, Can you still use stock Water Temp and Oil Pressure gauges? (1 Viewer)

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the OEM "adapter for the water pressure guage will screw into and seal in the chevy
the OEM oil pressure fitting will too/ it is a metric pitch that is so close to NPT as to not matter
no adapters needed.

BTDT


Mark...
 
I used the SBC oil pressure sender and an older CJ water temp sender off a AMC 304. Had to add an inline resistor to the water temp sender to get it in range but it all works without the expensive adapters. I had the SBC and AMC senders and didn't have the stock FJ40 senders so this was the low $ solution for me. You may be money ahead with the adapter fittings.
 
For old school SAE engines, we've sold the adapter fittings for the past zillion years. If you can do it without adapters---good for you. Newer metric engines pose newer problems:
(a) Your metric temp sensor will screw into the newer metric motor, but the thread pitches are different, consequently your sender will not get tight. We recommend mixing two part epoxy and gluing the sender into the motor. If you do this, make sure you screw in on as much angle as possible (digging male/female threads into each other) to have good metal to metal ground as the epoxy sets up.
(b) Your metric oil pressure sender will in fact screw into 1/8th NPT, but commonly your new donor engine will also have an "oil pressure sensor" that must also be included into the system. Sometimes this requires some local parts store fittings to get both items (sensor and sender) installed into a common "T" fitting?? There are other ways around this--PM me for more details.
 
For old school SAE engines, we've sold the adapter fittings for the past zillion years. If you can do it without adapters---good for you. Newer metric engines pose newer problems:
(a) Your metric temp sensor will screw into the newer metric motor, but the thread pitches are different, consequently your sender will not get tight. We recommend mixing two part epoxy and gluing the sender into the motor. If you do this, make sure you screw in on as much angle as possible (digging male/female threads into each other) to have good metal to metal ground as the epoxy sets up.
(b) Your metric oil pressure sender will in fact screw into 1/8th NPT, but commonly your new donor engine will also have an "oil pressure sensor" that must also be included into the system. Sometimes this requires some local parts store fittings to get both items (sensor and sender) installed into a common "T" fitting?? There are other ways around this--PM me for more details.


Slim-Jim,

Mark is putting in the 350 and the 700R4 this week with your adapter. I'd like to use the stock 1972 gauges as well.

Thanks Slim-Jim Sickles,

Bill
 
I have put a lot of the Toyota sending units in Chevy engines that have been transplanted into Cruisers... No special adapters, just the OEM Toyota seat with the OEM Toyota sender screwed into the chevy ports I have 5 at the shop right now that are done this way. Every one of the senders seated tightly and none of them has ever leaked.


Mark...
 
I have put a lot of the Toyota sending units in Chevy engines that have been transplanted into Cruisers... No special adapters, just the OEM Toyota seat with the OEM Toyota sender screwed into the chevy ports I have 5 at the shop right now that are done this way. Every one of the senders seated tightly and none of them has ever leaked.


Mark...
Not a problem, way to go Mark!!!!!
 
X2 the water temp union from toyota screws right into the old 350 engines . no special adapters needed to be purchased .

the OEM "adapter for the water pressure guage will screw into and seal in the chevy
the OEM oil pressure fitting will too/ it is a metric pitch that is so close to NPT as to not matter
no adapters needed.

BTDT


Mark...
 
I am going through this now myself. What I have found is that the oil sender will just thread right into the chevy engine. Like everyone was saying, you can use that above adapter to thread the coolant temp sender into the HEAD. If you are going into an intake manifold though, many of these have a 3/8-18 npt and I have not been able to find an adapter for the metric toyota sender. I have ordered an adapter with a smaller female size and am going to try drilling it out on my lathe and then threading it to the right size.
 

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